Geraint Thomas is refusing to give up on his dream of a second Yellow Jersey, insisting: “We've got to keep believing.”
Britain's last winner of the Tour de France in 2018 reached the final rest day in Carcassonne third overall, 2min 43sec behind leader Jonas Vingegaard and 21sec down on defending champion Tadej Pogacar. But with one eye on Saturday's 25.5-mile time trial, the Ineos Grenadiers standard-bearer promised to keep fighting until Paris.
Thomas said: "It's certainly going to be difficult with two incredibly strong riders in front of me and not just one. But we've got to keep believing as a team and hopefully try and make the most of anything we can and keep racing as best we can.
"All we can really do is get to Paris as quick as we can. Jonas and Tadej? If we don't pass them, we don't - and that's that." At 36, Thomas does not have the sudden turn of pace his younger rivals can produce, and he was dropped on the short climb into Mende.
But Vingegaard is running out of Jumbo-Visma team-mates after Primoz Roglic and Steven Kruijswijk both retired hurt on Sunday, while the leader was lucky to escape with only cuts and bruises from a crash.
Pogacar, meanwhile, had looked unstoppable going for a hat-trick of titles until he cracked on the Col du Granon, while rising star Tom Pidcock's magnificent stage win on the Alpe d'Huez gave Ineos renewed heart.
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Thomas admitted: "There's no point in my trying to match the explosivity of Vingegaard and Pog when they attack like they do on those climbs. It's better for me to ride a bit more steady and get back to them.
"I knew on Alpe d'Huez they wouldn't really carry on so I backed off and took a bit more time to get back on. The worst day for me was probably Mende. The climb didn't really suit me the best, but I still feel OK. The time to the Yellow Jersey has doubled in the last week, which isn't ideal, but I think we're still in a good place."
Vingegaard, who seized control of the Tour on Wednesday when Pogacar finally wilted, is still counting his blessings after hitting the deck. He said: "I'm still a bit bruised on my left arm. It's stinging a bit, but that's normal. It's never good to lose two such important helpers, but luckily we still have a super-strong team. We just have to fight and do our best and we'll see if it's enough."
